My life is amazing right now. It’s also the busiest it’s ever been. I’ve been ripping and running between my corporate job, hosting a podcast, and shooting three campaigns. One in Miami, then two back in New York. Typing that out—holy moly.
And honestly, ya boy couldn’t be happier.
I think that gets lost when I talk about being busy. Yeah, I’m stressed, but I’m doing things I’m excited about. Sometimes I’m still thinking through the day long after it’s over, sitting at my computer because there’s one more thing to finish.
My under-eyes have been keeping track of all of it.
The bags, the dark areas, that look you get after spending too much time in front of the screen. I’ll look in the mirror and see how much I’ve been doing, when what I’m feeling is how much I’m enjoying it. Can my face tell that part too?
Before I ever tried it myself, I’d already watched The Ordinary’s latest eye cream make the rounds on my feed, including my fav lifestyle creator Kalysse Anthony putting it through its paces live on PAPER’s social channels while balancing her own very busy fashion month. Naturally, I wanted to see what it looked like in my own routine.
That’s where I was coming from when I started my 28 days with The Ordinary’s Lacto-PDRN 4% + B9 Eye Cream. A few fun facts I’ve learned about it:
• The Lacto-PDRN comes from lab-fermented bacteria instead of the salmon DNA traditionally used for PDRN. So yes, this one’s vegan.
• It’s made for the thinner skin around your eyes, targeting the look of bags, fine lines and crepey eyelids.
• The Ordinary says it’s lightweight and works under makeup, helping everything go on smoothly without pilling, streaking or creasing.
Vegan PDRN without the salmon? Pretty cool. And a regular moisturizer is fine, but I get why you’d want something made for the eye area. The skin there is delicate, and we’re moving it every time we blink.
I used The Ordinary’s eye cream morning and night, after my other products and before moisturizer. It worked well with everything I was already using, so adding it was easy. There’s enough going on without my skincare becoming another thing I need to figure out.
The Ordinary talks about immediate benefits, including visibly lifted eyelids, tighter-looking under-eye bags and hydration that lasts all day, alongside improvements with continued use. For me, about a week in was when I started noticing brighter under-eyes. As I kept going, the bags and darker areas looked significantly better too. Like, okay, I can actually see this.
Meanwhile, I was still travelling, shooting, working and recording the podcast. Same busy life, but my face was looking fresher through it. I was glad something so easy to work into my routine was making a difference I could see.
Now I’m basically at the end of the 28 days, and I can see the results one thousand percent. My skin overall looks fresher, and I think The Ordinary’s eye cream has been a big part of that.
I’m still going to look tired sometimes because, damn, I am tired. But I’m happy too. I’m enjoying the work, the travel, all of it. Seeing a little more of that happiness in the mirror feels good. That part means a lot. I definitely don’t need my under-eyes telling everybody only half the story.
Turns out I found the perfect sidekick for this hectic life, and now my face (and eyes) gets to tell the happy part too.
This story is a collaboration between PAPER and The Ordinary.
